World TVET

Database
Kazakhstan

Compiled by: UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and
Training
May, 2012
Validated by: UNEVOC Centre 'Progress' - Association 'Education for all in Kazakhstan'
World TVET Database Kazakhstan
May, 2012

Compiled by
UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for
Technical and Vocational Education and Training
UN Campus
Platz der Vereinten Nationen 1
53113 Bonn
Germany

Tel: +49 228 815 0100

Fax: +49 228 815 0199
www.unevoc.unesco.org
unevoc@unesco.org

Country profiles are compiled from a variety of national and international sources and have
been informed and validated by UNEVOC Centres in the country or other TVET national
authorities.

The designations employed and the presentations of material throughout this report do not
imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal
status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation
of its frontiers or boundaries.

UNEVOC/2012/TVETDB/KAZ/1

© UNESCO 2015
All rights reserved

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World TVET Database Kazakhstan
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Contents

Abbreviations ....................................................................................................................................................4

1. TVET mission, strategy and legislation ...................................................................................................5

2. TVET formal, non-formal and informal systems ..................................................................................7

3. Governance and financing ........................................................................................................................8

4. TVET teachers and trainers ........................................................................................................................9

5. Qualifications and Qualifications Frameworks ....................................................................................9

6. Current reforms, major projects and challenges .............................................................................. 11

7. Links to UNEVOC centres and TVET institutions ............................................................................... 12

8. References and further reading ............................................................................................................ 12

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World TVET Database Kazakhstan
May, 2012

Abbreviations
CTVET Continuous Technical and Vocational Education and Training
EQF European Qualifications Framework
GTZ German association for technical cooperation
IQAA Independent Kazakhstan Quality Assurance Agency for Education
ITVET Initial Technical and Vocational Education and Training
LLL Lifelong Learning
MoES Ministry of Education and Science
NQF National Qualifications Framework
RKK Norwegian Education and Training Centre
TVET Technical and Vocational Education and Training

TVETipedia Glossary
Below are listed TVET terms mentioned in this report. Click on a term to read its definitions on
the UNESCO-UNEVOC TVETipedia glossary.

Accreditation National Qualifications Framework

Assessment Non-formal education
Attractiveness of vocational education and training Qualification
Basic Education Quality
Competence/y Quality Assurance
Curriculum Social Partners
Diploma Stakeholder
Evaluation Standard
Higher Education Teacher
Informal Learning Teacher In Vet
In-service training Trainer
Job TVET
Labour market Underqualification
Lifelong Learning

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World TVET Database Kazakhstan
May, 2012

Kazakhstan
Population: 17,625,000 (2015)
Youth population1: 2,640,000 (2015)
Median population age: 29.3 (2015)
Annual population growth 1.55%
(2010-2015)2:
Data © OpenStreetMap Design © Mapbox

1. TVET mission, strategy and legislation

TVET mission

The aims and objectives for Kazakhstan in the TVET sector are as follows:

 Modernisation of the TVET system in accordance with the demands of society and
industrial development of economy; integration into the global educational space;
 Achievement of a high level of education quality that meets the demands of the labour
market, the objectives of the industrial-innovative development of the country,
satisfying individual needs and conforming to the world's best practice in education;
 Training highly qualified staff for the education sector;
 Increasing state support and improving teachers’ employment opportunities;
 Updating the structure and the content of technical and vocational education
according to the demands of the country’s industrial development;
 Development of infrastructure for staff training infrastructure in main sectors of
economy;
 Enhancing the image of TVET;
 Training staff for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees meeting the demands of the
country’s industrial development; and
 Creating conditions for lifelong education and education for all.

Some of the quantitative targets are:

 Percentage of a highly qualified teaching staff holding the first and the second
category : 52% (out of the total number of teachers);
 Percentage of TVET graduates who passed an independent assessment of qualification
at the employers’ associations at the first try (out of total number of participants):
80%; and
 Percentage of employed TVET graduates in the first year after graduation under the
government grant scheme: 80%.

There are three teacher categories: second, first and the highest. Categories are assigned in
accordance with specific requirements laid out by the attestation committee. The requirements

1
Population aged 14-25
2
All statistics compiled from the United Nation’s Population Division’s World Population Prospects, the
2015 Revision (http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/DVD/)

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World TVET Database Kazakhstan
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refer to academic and professional experience of the teacher, his/her extra-curricular activities,
aspiration to professional development, dedication to the improvement of teacher-parent
relationship, etc.

TVET strategy

The “State Programme of education development in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2011-2020”
is the main document containing the goals and objectives of education development and ways
for implementing them. TVET is viewed as one of the most important parts of the educational
system, and is broadly addressed in the State programme.

TVET legislation

The Law on Education together with the Law on Higher Education set out the principles and
objectives of national education. The Law on Education (last amended in 2011) is the main
regulatory act providing for secondary TVET.

Constant adjustments are being made to the legal acts regulating the development of national
TVET that also take into consideration international standards in the field of education in
accordance with the Bologna process.

One of the latest changes was the adoption of the normative legal act on “creation of a
National Council for training of technical and vocational education personnel” in 2011.

Sources:
Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2010). State programme of
education development in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2011-2020. Astana: Ministry
of Education and Science.
UNESCO-IBE (2011). World Data on Education VII Ed. 2010/2011. Kazakhstan. Geneva:
UNESCO-IBE.

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2. TVET formal, non-formal and informal systems

Scheme compiled by UNESCO-UNEVOC from UNESCO-IBE (2011). World Data on Education VII
Ed. 2010/2011. Kazakhstan. Geneva: UNESCO-IBE.

Formal TVET system

Upon completion of the 9th grade of basic secondary education, students have the option to
enter technical and vocational schools and pursue a three- to four-year programmes, whereas
after graduating from the 11th grade and receiving a complete secondary education, a student
may apply to a two- to three-year programme in a technical and vocational school. A transition
to a 12-year secondary education system is planned to be finalised by 2015.

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With the diploma of complete secondary education it is also possible to continue education in
higher education institutes, universities and specialised vocational colleges. Some colleges are
affiliated to Universities.

The main purpose of specialised vocational schools and colleges is the training of skilled workers
that is carried out in 160 fields. The specialists are trained according to the State standards and
educational plans, prepared on the basis of the Classification of secondary specialised education
specialities. The specialities are established in the following areas: education, medicine, art and
culture, restoration, jewellery, architecture, maintenance and reparation of telecommunications
equipment and household appliances, plumbing, etc.

Non-formal and informal TVET systems

In addition to the formal system of vocational education, a broad network of other skill-
oriented institutions exists throughout the country. These institutions are: complementary
vocational training educational centres for youth and adults, including profit-making learning
institutions, sectoral training institutions, professional development courses, etc.

Sources:
UNESCO-IBE (2011). World Data on Education VII Ed. 2010/2011. Kazakhstan. Geneva:
UNESCO-IBE.

3. Governance and financing

Governance

The Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) is the central executive body in charge of
management of the educational system. The functions of the MoES are written down in the Law
on Education and include the following: defining and executing national educational policy;
drafting and adopting national regulations regarding funding for education; drafting and
adopting national educational standards, curricula and syllabi; issuing State orders concerning
the training of specialists, etc.

The Technical and Vocational Education Department is one of the subordinate departments of
MoES.

The management body of technical and vocational schools and colleges is the Academic Board
which is responsible for the organisation of the educational process.

Curricula can be autonomously defined by universities, colleges and schools as long as it is

within the framework of State educational standards.

Financing

Since the Republic of Kazakhstan is divided into regions and districts, its Department of
Education is formed from regional/municipal authorities that perform the functions of

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regional/municipal management when it comes to questions related to education. These

departments are responsible for executing the national educational strategy at the regional
level and determine the funds allocated to education from regional budgets.

It is planned to introduce “per capita” financing in all educational institutions.

Sources:
UNESCO-IBE (2011). World Data on Education Ed VII. 2010/2011. Kazakhstan. Geneva:
UNESCO-IBE.

4. TVET teachers and trainers

There are no special training institutions for TVET teachers. In the Soviet time the teachers were
taught on separate departments of Engineering and Pedagogical Institutes of Higher Education.
This practice is no longer applicable and only a small amount of institutions, including the
private ones, still have this department in their structure.

In general, teacher education is weakly connected with the actual practice, leaving graduates
poorly introduced to their jobs.

The demand for new teachers is very high and the amount of TVET teacher graduates does not
correspond to it. Therefore, the Government has introduced more grants for the free training of
new TVET teachers.

Besides the lack of teaching personnel, qualifications of in-service teachers are also a troubled
issue, especially in the rural areas of the country. Rural schools tend to be understaffed leaving
existing teachers responsible for subjects in which they do not have necessary experience and
training.

Generally, in-service training is provided by public regional in-service training institutes. Main
purpose of these institutions is to improve professional level of teaching personnel and to
implement national education policy with regard to teacher education. Teaching staff has to
pass regular in-service training every five years. But the capacity of training institutes is scarce,
resulting in inability of those institutions to provide necessary training.

Modernisation of the structure and content of the TVET system has left training personnel
under- qualified, since their knowledge no longer corresponds to current developments and new
methodologies in their field of competence. Often, teachers are not able to attend additional
training courses that are not a part of in-service training taking place every 5 years or are
expected to do so at their own expense.

TVET trainers are mainly practitioners-specialists in different fields who combine work and
teaching TVET programmes part-time, mostly due to the low level of salary.

Sources:
UNESCO-IBE (2011). World Data on Education Ed VII. 2010/2011. Kazakhstan. Geneva:
UNESCO-IBE.

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5. Qualifications and Qualifications Frameworks

Completion of basic or complete secondary education gives a student the right to enter
technical and vocational schools. In such schools, a professional diploma can be obtained.

The certificate of complete secondary education entitles its holder to apply to technical and
vocational colleges, higher educational institutes and universities.

Upon successful completion of technical and vocational college a student is awarded a

qualification diploma.

After college a student may continue his/her studies at a higher education institution, where
Bachelor's and Master's degrees are awarded. Studying in technical universities, academies and
institutes normally leads to a Diploma of Specialist.

National Qualifications Framework (NQF)

By 2010 the Republic of Kazakhstan was to adjust its curriculum to an outcomes-oriented

model, based on a normative framework of expected outcomes. The development of a National
Qualifications Framework is currently in progress.

Quality assurance

The Independent Kazakhstan Quality Assurance Agency for Education (IQAA) conducts quality
assurance of higher institutions in Kyrgyzstan. IQAA conducts accreditation of universities and
colleges; provides advisory services on quality assurance and provides rankings of higher
education institutions. The agency cooperates with national and international stakeholders to
improve quality assurance mechanisms and establish regular assessment and evaluation
activities in higher education.

With regard to TVET, there is a lack of transparent quality assurance mechanisms. According to
VET Roundtable (2007), “assessment mechanisms are outdated and lack transparency. Apart
from student assessments, other tools for monitoring quality and for evaluation are used
infrequently, if at all. Neither the schools nor the State Agency for Vocational Education have
well-defined and managed quality assurance systems.”

Sources:
ETF (2009). Kazakhstan Country Plan. Turin: European Training Foundation.
UNESCO-IBE (2011). World Data on Education Ed VII. 2010/2011. Kazakhstan. Geneva:
UNESCO-IBE.

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World TVET Database Kazakhstan
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6. Current reforms, major projects and challenges

Current reforms and major projects

The TVET system in the Republic of Kazakhstan is going through major restructuring. This was
partly due to big changes in the structure of national economy and the lack of qualified workers
to support it. As a result, more resources have been allocated to the improvement of the TVET
system.

A number of issues are being addressed:

Major work is being carried out in developing the cooperation between personnel training
companies and educational institutions, with the aim to make more places available for the
practical training of students.

A new system of independent quality assessment within the TVET system is being implemented.

International cooperation is an important aspect. For example, the German Agency for
International Cooperation (GIZ) is assisting in developing curricula and module programmes; the
European Commission is involved in the development of social partnerships; the Norwegian
Education and Training Centre (RKK) helps in education and re-training of workers in the field
of oil and gas. Other international partners involved in projects are the British Council, the
World Bank, ETF, GEMCO International BV, and the University of Applied Sciences FONTYS (the
Netherlands).

A breakthrough project under the governance of the Ministry of Education was the creation of
modern inter-regional centres for education and re-training on the basis of existing educational
institutions. The centres focus on educating and re-training workers for the most important
sectors of national economy.

Suggestions of employers, labour associations and State Government are taken into
consideration while revising professional qualifications in technical and vocational education
and developing a NQF for TVET. According to the ILO report (2010) on The Implementation and
Impact of National Qualifications Frameworks, Kazakhstan is in the phase of considering the
implantation of NQF. A project initiated by The World Bank in 2010 called Technical and
Vocational Education Modernisation Project is aimed at assisting Kazakhstan in the
development of NQF.

Sources:
ILO (2010). The Implementation and Impact of National Qualifications Frameworks: Report of a
study in 16 countries. Geneva: International Labour Organisation.
UNESCO-IBE (2011). World Data on Education Ed VII. 2010/2011. Kazakhstan. Geneva:
UNESCO-IBE.
Webpage of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Accessed: 22
November 2011.

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7. Links to UNEVOC centres and TVET institutions

UNEVOC Centres

 UNEVOC Centre 'Progress' - Association 'Education for all in Kazakhstan' (Tempus)

TVET Institutions

 Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan

8. References and further reading

References

ETF (2009). Kazakhstan Country Plan. Turin: European Training Foundation.

ILO (2010). The Implementation and Impact of National Qualifications Frameworks: Report of a
study in 16 countries. Geneva: International Labour Organisation.

Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2010). State programme of
education development in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2011-2020. Astana: Ministry
of Education and Science.

UNESCO-IBE (2011). World Data on Education VII Ed. 2010/2011. Kazakhstan. Geneva:
UNESCO-IBE.

Webpage of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Accessed: 22
November 2011.

Further reading

Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2011). Закон Республики
Казакхстан об Образовании (Law on Education).

Web-page of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Project on support

to Vocational Education and Training in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Webpage of the British Council in Kazakhstan. Accessed: 24 November 2011.

Webpage of the World Bank Project on Technical and Vocational Education Modernization in
the Republic of Kazakhstan. Accessed: 24 November 2011.

Webpage of RKK International activities in Kazakhstan. Accessed: 23 November 2011.

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